Eat with your eyes

When we were on holiday in Mexico a few weeks ago, we had this beautiful outdoor setting for one of our dinners. I loved the way they had taken individual flowers and arranged them so prettily.

Creating an attractive setting really helps with your enjoyment of a meal. This is particularly important if you aren't feeling hungry as a result of treatment like chemotherapy or something like that. If you are in that situation, see if your partner/friend can help encourage your appetite by making things look pretty and inviting. Even putting a vase of flowers on the table can make a difference, or some candles....

Remember, we first eat with our eyes, then our noses and finally our mouths - so stimulate your eyes first, and the rest will follow! Make the environment attractive, both the setting and how the food is arranged on the plate.

Cliff the sniffer dog

Watch the clip below and see a clever little beagle dog who has learned to sniff out Clostridium difficile - a bacteria that causes severe diarrhea and colitis and spreads rapidly in hospitals. I have a friend who contracted it and she was out of action for a long time.

Go Cliff!...come to think of it, maybe he should be called "Button" (button nose!), or Courtney (as in short nose - court nez) or Cyrano,.... instead of Cliff!